Le Tour De France

During the three weeks riders risk Alpine crashes, heat stroke, hypothermia and extreme fatigue with simply finishing being the main aim for most of the Peloton. The race alternates between clockwise and anticlockwise circuits of France travelling through France taking riders through the Alps and the Pyrennes.

The 2012 Tour will be clockwise and the full route is announced on the 18th of October

The New York Times said the “Tour de France is arguably the most physiologically demanding of athletic events.” The effort was compared to “running a marathon several days a week for nearly three weeks”, while the total elevation of the climbs was compared to “climbing three Everests”